A powerful tornado ripped through the North Texas town of Perryton on Thursday, killing three people and injuring more than 70 others, local authorities confirmed. According to ABC, between 50 and 70 injured are have been hospitalized in the area, while those with more serious injuries were taken by helicopter to other hospitals.
The tornado unleashed its deadly fury on a mobile home park, sweeping away everything in its path and leaving about thirty long home units completely destroyed. Local television stations were showing images where up to three tornadoes could be seen at the same time around 5 p.m. local time. Although Texas bore the brunt, 21 million people from Colorado to Kansas were on alert for severe weather on Thursday.
Meteorologists had warned that severe weather conditions capable of producing wind gusts of up to 90 miles per hour, hail up to nearly 5 inches in diameter and violent tornadoes were expected Thursday. On Wednesday, more than 300 storms were recorded in the area under a state of alert. While a large area from Colorado to South Carolina was on notice, there were warnings that Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas could bear the brunt.
Large hail and damaging thunderstorms winds are possible across parts of the central High Plains, Southeast U.S. and Mid-Atlantic.
Visit https://t.co/VyWINDk3xP for more details. https://t.co/jlvw6R6RPD
— National Weather Service (@NWS) June 16, 2023
Areas around the Dallas-Forth Worth metropolitan area are under a risk level of 3 to 5 for severe weather. "The areas most susceptible or suffering another round of large hail and possibly damaging winds will be northeast Texas, and east of I-45," the Dallas weather service office said. Local authorities warn the population to maintain precautions because, although the worst was expected for Wednesday and Thursday, isolated and still dangerous meteorological phenomena may still occur throughout Friday.
On Friday, the storm front moved southeastward and reached Escambia County, Fla. There, in Pensacola, a 56-year-old man died after high wind gusts blew a tree onto the deceased's home, according to Escambia County emergency services.
